Automatic switch



(Na Model) B. F. PURVIANCE & 0. HILLS.

AUTOMATIC SWITGH.

Patented May 25, 1886.

NITED STATES PATENTJ OFFICE,

i BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PURVIANCE AND oHRisTrAN HiLLs, or Kao..

' KUK, Iowa.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,760, dated May 25, 1886.

'Application filed March 31, 1886.

To aZZ whmgc it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PURvIANon and OHRIsTIAN HILLs, both residents of Keokuk,in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Switches; and We do hereby deelare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference bei ng had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speeification, and in which- Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a railway-track provided with our improved automatic switch. Fig. 2 is a pcrspective detail view of the rigid frog-rail, and Fig. 3 is a similar View of the switch-rail having' the frog.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. i

Our invention has relation to that class o railway-switches in which the rails of the main track are formed with pivoted switchrail portions, which are pivoted at opposite ends at opposite sides of the track and with their free ends pointing in opposite directions and sliding at registering points of the track, and in which the ends of the said switeh-rails` are provided with laterally-projectingswitch-rods, which are pivoted at their ends to the ends of a lever pivoted at the side of the track, so that they will be simnltaneously slid in opposite direct-ions, and it contemplates certain new and useful improvements upon the railway-switch for which Letters Patent No. 322,395 were granted to us on the 14th day of July, 1885;' and it consists to that end in theimproved construction and combination of parts of the same, as hereinafter more fully described and olaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letters A A indicate the rails of the single track; B B are the rails of the main track of the switch, and C C are the rails of the siding.

The outer rail of the siding and Vthe corresponding `rail of the vmain track meet in a frog, D, consisting of an entire rail portion, E, which forms a portion of the rail of the Serial No. 107,253. (No model.)

siding, and a pointed rail portion, F, the inner edge of which forms a continnation of the single-track rail and of the main-track rail,and the wide butt-end of this rail portion is formed with a lip, G, at the outer edge, against which the end of the switch-rail H of the main track may bear with its outer side, the said lip serving/ as a stop for the same. This switchrail of the main-track rail is pivoted at its end and slides upon Va suitable support upon the tie or sleeper I of the switch, and may abut, when drawn off from the frog, against a stop, J, upon the sleeper of the switch. The other switch-rail, K, is pivoted at one end in the line of the opposite rail of the main track, and its free end, which points in the oppsite direction from the rail B, bears against the stop L when it is in line with the main line of the track. Both switeh-rails have the inner ends of the switch-rods N and M secured to them, and the outer ends of these switch-rods are pivoted to the ends of a lever, O, pivoted at its middle upon the outer end of the switchsleeper and provided with a suitable handle, P. The inner side of the switch-rail is provided with a pointed rail portion, Q. secured at a distance from the side and registering with its wide end with the inner rail of the siding when the switch rail registers with the main-track rail, and the wide end of this pointed rail portion is bevcled at its inner side, as shown at R, and bears against a beveled or oblique stop, S, secured upon the sleeper of the switch when the switch-rail is slid to register with the rail of the siding.

It will be seen that when the switch is set so as to leave-the main track open the pointed rail upon the lower switch-rail will allow a train coming from the siding to travel onto the single track without any danger of derailment, which was not possible in our former switch, and if the switchis set so as to leave the siding open the flange of the wheels of a train coming down the main line will bear against the inner side of the upper switchrail, throwing it and the lower rail to register with the main track 'rails. The lip at the wide end of the rigid frograil and the stops upon the sleeper will prevent the switch-rails from being thrown too far, stopping them' exaetly at the point where they register with the ends of the rigid raiis.

Having thus described our invention, we 5 claiml and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In combination with the rails of a rail' way-switch, having portions of the main-track rails at opposite sides of the track pivoted at' :o opposite ends, sliding with their ends npon the same sleeper, and having rods pivoted to the. ends of one switch-lever, a pointed'rail pol'tion seenred to the inner side of the lower switch-mil, registering with its wide end with 15 the end of the inner rail of the siding, as and for the pnrpose shown and set fol'th.

2. The combination, in a railway-switch, of the onter rail of the siding having at its inner side a pointed rail portion forniing a. continuation of the main track with its inner edge, and having a lip projecting at the onter side of the wide end, with an upper switch 1'ai 1 bearing with the outer side of its end against the said lip, as and for the pnrpose shown' 2 5 and set forth.

3. The combination of the rails of the siding, having the inner side of the outer rail provided with a frog portion, having a lip at the wide end, the rails of the main track, the switeh-rails at opposite sides of the track and 3a pivoted at opposite ends, and having the rods pivoted to a common lever, and provided at the inner side of the lower switch-mil With a pointed rail portion registering with the inner rail of the siding, and having the inner side of its wide end beve1ed,- and the stops npon the sleepers for the ends of the switch-rails to bear against, as and for the pnrpose shown and set forth.

, In test-imony that we claim the foregoiug as 40 our own we have herennto affixed our signa` tures in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PRYIASCB.

CHRIS'I'IAN HILLS.

Vitnesses:

JAs. M. ALLEN, JNo. H. LENNON. 

